Convertible sofa bed

ABSTRACT

The sofa-bed is of the type in which the longest dimension of the mattress extends parallel to the back of the sofa-bed. A simple mattress support with only two hinged sections is provided. The back of the sofa frame has a forward facing cavity. A mechanism is provided for folding the mattress support and mattress into an L shape so that a substantially horizontal portion of the mattress forms a seat support, and a substantially vertical portion of the mattress forms a backrest for the sofa. Loose seat cushions and back cushions then are placed on the horizontal and vertical mattress portions to form an exceptionally soft seat and back for the sofa. A fabric flap is attached along the top of the sofa frame and covers the vertical mattress portion forming the sofa back rest. The flap is folded back over the back of the sofa when the bed is unfolded. The folding mechanism for the bed includes a leg linkage which remains below the upper surface of the mattress support so as to be out of the way of clothing and persons sleeping on the bed. A back swing-linkage is provided with a tie-bar which supports the rear section of the mattress support when it is horizontal, and also supports the same section when it is vertical for use as a back-rest.

United States Patent 1 Barabas CONVERTIBLE SOFA BED [75] Inventor: Andrew A. Barabas, Danbury, Conn.

[73] Assignee: Castro Convertible Corporation,

New Hyde Park, N.Y.

[22] Filed: Feb. 28, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 229,705

i srzqssm rsliaeks -.m A ttorney- Arthur V. Smith and Gregor N. Neff ABSTRACT The sofa-bed is of the type in which the longest dimen- Judy M, i973 sion of the mattress extends parallel to the back of the sofa-bed. A simple mattress support with only two hinged sections is provided. The back of the sofa frame has a forward facing cavity. A mechanism is provided for folding the mattress support and mattress into an L shape so that a substantially horizontal portion of the mattress forms a seat support, and a substantially vertical portion of the mattress forms a backrest for the sofa. Loose seat cushions and back cushions then are placed on the horizontal and vertical mattress portions to form an exceptionally soft seat and back for the sofa. A fabric flap is attached along the top of the sofa frame and covers the vertical mattress portion forming the sofa back rest. The flap is folded back over the back of the sofa when the bed is unfolded. The folding mechanism for the bed includes a leg linkage which remains below the upper surface of the mattress support so as to be out of the way of clothing and persons sleeping on the bed. A back swing-linkage is provided with a tiebar which supports the rear section of the mattress support when it is horizontal, and also supports the same section when it is vertical for use as a back-rest.

10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures CONVERTIBLE SOFA BED This invention relates to convertible sofa-beds.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an extremely simple sofa-bed of the type in which the long dimension of the mattress extends parallel to the sofa back, that is, a long-style sofa-bed. It is an object to provide such a sofa-bed with a relatively small number of members in the sofa frame, and with relatively small number of linkages in the folding mechanism. It is a further object to provide such a sofa-bed with a sofa which is extremely soft to sit upon. It is yet another object of the invention to provide such a sofa-bed which is relatively easy to open and close, while having the simplicity specified above. It is yet another object of the invention to provide such a sofa-bed which is stylish and pleasing in appearance.

The foregoing objects are met, in accordance with the present invention, by the provision of a convertible sofa-bed having a mattress support with only two sections hinged together. The sofa frame has a hollow back forming a forward-facing cavity. Means are provided for guiding the two-section mattress support into an L-shape when the bed is folded, with the horizontal portion of the mattress forming a seat support, and the generally vertical portion of the mattress forming the back support. Loose seat cushions rest on the seat support and against the back support so formed. Optionally, cloth flaps cover the mattress portions before the seat cushions are positioned. The flaps fold away easily when the bed is unfolded. The combination of the loose seat and back cushions with the mattress as a seat and back support makes the sofa extremely soft and comfortable to sit upon. Folding the mattress into only two sections considerably simplifies the bed mechanism. Also, certain cross-members of the mechanism perform double functions so as to eliminate parts which otherwise might be needed. A leg-folding mechanism which stays below the upper level of the mattress support also is provided to avoid interference with the bed clothing and the people sleeping on the bed.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in or apparent from the following description and drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a perspective view of the convertible sofabed of the present invention, with the bed folded-up to form a comfortable sofa;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sofa-bed shown in FIG. I with the seat and back cushions removed and the bed folded-out for sleeping;

FIG. 3 is a perspective, partially broken away view of the sofa-bed in the condition shown in FIG. 2, with the mattress removed to show the folding mechanism of the sofa bed;

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 all are side elevation views, partially broken away and in cross-section, illustrating the sofabed at various positions during folding; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 1 shows the sofa-bed 10 of the present invention in sofa form. The sofa-bed includes a back portion 12, two side portions 14 and 16, with arms 30 and 28, respectively. Loose seat-cushions form the sofa seat, and loose back-cushions 18 form a soft back-rest for the sofa. The sofa includes an upholstered front-board 22, and an upholstered front cushion 24 which is attached to the bed folding mechanism. Feet 26 support the sofa on the floor.

FIG. 2 shows the sofa-bed 10 unfolded to form a bed. A mattress 32 is supported in a horizontal position by a mattress support which is indicated generally at 38. The longest dimension of the mattress 32 and its support 38 extends parallel to the back 12 of the sofa, and the mattress 32 is wide enough for two adults to sleep comfortably with their bodies parallel to the sofa back. Thus, the sofa-bed is a long style sofa-bed.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 through 6, and particularly to FIG. 3, the mattress support 38 has only two sections, sections 37 and 39. Section 37 is the rear section and includes an angle-iron back-rail 41, and two similar side rails 45. Section 39 is the forward or front section of the mattress support 38, and includes a front-rail 43 and two side-rails 47. The two sections 37 and 39 are pivotably connected together adjacent the center of the side of the mattress support 38 at point 58. The mattress support 38 is completed by a wire mesh indicated schematically at 49, supported at the edges of the frame by helical springs 51. The wire mesh and helical spring are conventional and well-known in the art. Only a few of the springs 51 and only a very small portion of the wire mesh 49 is shown in FIG. 3, in order to prevent obscuring parts more important to an understanding of the invention.

The folding mechanisms shown in FIG. 3 at opposite sides of the sofa-bed are mirror images of one another. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to corresponding parts of each side mechanism, and only one of the side mechanisms will be described.

Each side folding mechanism includes a front swinglink 52 which is pivoted at one end 56 to a bracket 53 which is secured to the sofa-frame. The other end of the front swing-link 52 is pivoted at 54 to the forward section 39 of the mattress support 38, approximately mid-way between the forward and rear edges of the forward section 39.

The rear section 37 of the mattress support 38 also is supported by a rear swing-link 68 which is pivoted at 61 to a bracket 58 which also is secured to the side of the sofa frame. The rear swing-link 68 also is pivoted at 62 to the side-member 45 of the rear section 37 of the mattress support at a considerable distance forward of the rear rail 41. A rear tie-bar 66 is secured at a point 64 on rear swing-link 68 intermediate the ends of the link. The rails 45 at each side of the mechanism come to rest upon the tie-bar 66 when the bed is unfolded in its horizontal position. Thus, the tie-bar 66 and the rear swing links together support the rear section of the mattress support against the weight of the mattress and the people sleeping on the mattress.

Each side of the mattress support 38 also is supported in the sofa frame at a third point. A guide-rail 72 with a generally C-shaped cross-section is secured to the frame with its rear end lower than its forward end. As it is shown in FIG. 7 as well as FIG. 3, a roller 74 is positioned inside of the guide 72 to roll along the guide as the bed is being folded and unfolded. The shaft '78 of the roller is secured to the lower end of a vertical bracket 75 which is secured rigidly at 77 to the side of the frame member 47.

A leg 48 supports the forward portion of the forward section 39 when it is unfolded to form a bed. The leg 48 is pivoted at its upper end 44 to the side-rail 47. A leg-folding link 42 is pivoted at a point 46 adjacent its forward end to the leg 40 at a position below the pivot point 44. The rear end of the leg-folding link 42 is pivoted at 48 to a bracket 55 which is secured to the side member 45 of the rear portion of the mattress support and hangs below the mattress support.

' A central tie-bar 68 is secured at 70 between opposite sides 47 of the forward section of the mattress support. The tie-bar stabilizes the folding mechanism and helps ensure that both halves of the mechanism will move in synchronism with one another. The bar 68 hangs a considerable distance below the mattress support surface so as to not be hit by the mattress support as it bulges downwardly under the weight of a sleeper on the mattress.

Yet another tie-bar 69 is secured between opposite front swing-links 52 at positions considerably below the uppermost portion of each front swing-link. A coil spring 80 is fastened at its lower end 84 to the bracket 53, and at its upper end to the central tie-bar 68 at a point 81 which is located at a substantial distance inwardly from the end of the tie-bar 68.

The back portion 12 of the frame includes two sideboards 88, a bottom board 96 between the side boards 88, a top board 86, and a top back-board 94 (see FIG. 6). Fabric 89 covers the back. This structure forms a forward-facing cavity 90 in the back of the sofa-bed.

Along the forward edge of the top board 86 is fastened the upper edge of a fabric flap 34. The flap 34 is shown in FIG. 3 thrown over the back of the sofa. However, when the sofa-bed is folded to form a sofa, the flap 34 is folded down over the front portion of the back so as to protect and hide the mattress.

Secured along the top of the frontrail 43 is an upholstered foam rubber cushion 24. The cushion 24 is secured to an angle-iron brace which is not shown in FIG. 3. Another flap 36 is secured to the flange to which the cushion 24 is secured. The flap 36 is folded forward in FIG. 3, and, like the cushion 24, has been cut away to show some of the details of the construction of the bed mechanism. The flap 36 is folded over onto the mattress after the bed has been folded to form a sofa, and thus forms a protective cover for the mattress when it is used as a seat support.

FIGS. 4 through 6 illustrate the operation of the side mechanism in folding the bed. FIG. 4 shows the relative positions of the components of the sofa-bed shortly after the flap 36 has been folded over onto the mattress and the front edge of the open bed has been lifted and pushed forwardly by a person using the bed. The mattress 32 has started to fold into its L shape. The folding action of the forward and rear sections 39 and 37 causes the distance between the rear pivot and the forward pivot 46 of the leg-folding link 42 to lengthen, thus swinging the leg 40 upwardly about its pivot 44. The pivot point 56 of the front swing-link 52 raises the point 54 upwardly as the bed swings into the sofa, thus starting the folding of the mattress 32 and its support 38, and the leg 40.

The rear section 37 swings upwardly above the pivot point 61, and the rear section of the bed moves into the FIG. 5 shows the bed when it has been folded almost all the way into the sofa. The leg 40 now has been completely folded, and the mattress has been folded to a degree such that the angle between the front and rear sections 39 and 37 is less than 90.

FIG. 6 shows the sofa-bed after it has been completely folded. The flap 34 has been folded over onto the front surface of the vertical portion of the mattress, and seat cushions l8 and 20 have been properly positioned. The front swing-link 52 is in a substantially horizontal position in which the tie-bar 69 is closely adjacent the under surface of the mattress support 38. Thus, the bar 69 provides a seat support to resist down ward sagging of the sofa seat when people sit on the sofa.

An angle-iron bracket 92 is attached to the frontboard 22. The bracket 92 supports the forward end of the mattress support 38 and holds it in place against downward pressure from those sitting on the sofa.

The rear portion 37 of the mattress support now is quite close to the rear tie-bar 66, as also is shown in FIG. 6. Thus, the tie-bar 66 now supports the mattress at the rear to prevent excessive sagging from rearward pr s sure by soineone sitting on fi sofaf The tie bar therefore performs three different functions; it functions as a back-support for the sofa; as a mattresssupport for the bed, and as a stabilizing bar to synchronize the operation of the two opposite side folding mechanisms of the sofa-bed.

The tie-bar 69 performs two separate functions; it is a seat support when the bed is folded, and it is a stabilizing bar to synchronize the operation of the two side mechanisms.

When the sofa-bed is to be opened again into a bed, the cushions l8 and 20 are removed, the flaps 34 and 36 are folded back, and the mechanism is lifted out of the sofa frame. The operation then is substantially the reverse of that described above, except that the stretched springs now assist the operator instead of resisting the operator as when he was folding the bed. Thus, the springs assist the operator during the portion of the operation when he most needs assistance.

The sofa-bed 10 described above meets the objectives set forth above. The sofa is quite soft and comfortable to sit upon. This comfort is created, in part, by the fact that the seat and back cushions rest directly against the mattress without the intervention of springs and wire fabric as in some prior sofa-beds of a similar type. Furthermore, since the mattress 32 need be bent in only one place and in only one direction, and need not be bent at a very large angle, the mattress can be substantially thicker than with many prior constructions. This further adds to the seating comfort of the sofa, and also adds important comfort to the sleeper using the sofa-bed as a bed.

The frame of the sofa is desirably simple. Frame members usually required to form a solid sofa back have been eliminated, thus saving both material and labor costs in the manufacturing of the sofa-bed.

The folding mechanism of the sofa-bed also is desirably simple. Since there are only two sections to the mattress support, the number of links and levers required is maintained at a low level. Furthermore, as has been explained in greater detail above, certain components perform not just one, but two and even three different functions. This also saves parts. Of course the saving of parts also produces a saving in labor costs in making the sofa-bed.

The above description of the invention is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes or modifications in the embodiments described may occur to those skilled in the art and these can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

I claim l. A convertible sofa-bed comprising a sofa frame, a

- mattress support, means for movably supporting said mattress support in said frame with the longest dimension of said mattress support extending in a direction parallel to the back of said sofa-bed, said mattress support having only two sections hinged together adjacent the center of each side of said mattress support, said sofa frame having a hollow back forming a forwardfacing cavity, means for guiding said mattress support into a horizontal planar configuration when the sofabed is unfolded, and for guiding said mattress support into a generally L-shaped configuration with a generally vertical portion of the mattress within said cavity and forming a backrest, and a generally horizontal portion of the mattress forming a seat.

2. A sofa-bed as in claim 1 in which said mattress support sections comprise a forward section which extends outwardly from the front of the sofa-bed when the bed is unfolded, a pair of support legs, each pivotably secured to one side of the outwardly extending portion of said forward section, and a folding linkage for each leg for folding it to a position generally parallel to the forward section when the bed is folded.

3. A sofa-bed as in claim 1 including, on each side of said mattress support, a rear swing-link pivoted at one end to the rear section of said mattress support and at the other end to said sofa frame, a front swing-link piv-v oted at one end to the forward section of said mattress support and at the other end to said sofa frame, and center guide means for guiding the central portion of each side of said mattress support downwardly and to the rear of the sofa bed during folding of the bed.

4. A sofa-bed as in claim 3 in which said center guide means includes, on each side of said sofa-bed, a C- shaped guide rail secured to'the sofa frame with the rear end lower than the forward end, and a roller attached to said mattress support and positioned to roll in said guide rail during opening and closing of the bed.

run

5. A sofa-bed as in claim 1 including a flexible flap secured at one edge adjacent the top of said frame and having a length sufficient to cover the vertical portion of the folded mattress.

6. A sofa-bed as in claim 1 in which said sofa frame includes a lower front-board over which said mattress support moves during folding and unfolding, and a cushioned frontal member secured to, extending upwardly and outwardly from the forward edge of said mattress support so as to present a front edge substantially co-planar with the front of said front-board when the bed is folded, and a top edge substantially co-planar with the top of the horizontal seat portion of said mattress when the bed is folded.

7. A sofa-bed as in claim 3 in which the pivot point of each of said rear swing-links with said mattress support is forward of the rear edge of said mattress support, and including a tie-bar extending parallel to the sofa back and being secured at each end to one of said rear swing-links at a position intermediate the ends of the link, whereby said tie-bar supports said rear portion of said mattress support against forces applied thereto downwardly when the bed is open and rearwardly when the bed is folded.

8. A sofa-bed as in claim 2 in which each of said legs is pivoted adjacent one of its ends to said mattress support, said folding linkage for each leg including a link pivoted at one end to said leg at a point intermediate the ends of said leg, and at the other end to a member depending from said rear section, the latter pivot point being below the mattress support.

9. A sofa-bed as in claim ll including a tie-bar secured between opposite sides of said mattress support adjacent the center of each side, and, on each side of said sofa-bed, a tension spring connected between said tie bar and said sofa frame at a location below said mattress support.

10. A sofa-bed as in claim 3 including a tie-bar secured between opposite front swing-links at points below the connections of said front swing-links to said mattress support, whereby said tie-bar is substantially below said mattress support when said bed is unfolded, and is closely adjacent said mattress support to provide a seat support when the bed is folded into sofa form.

=l i =l= l 

1. A convertible sofa-bed comprising a sofa frame, A mattress support, means for movably supporting said mattress support in said frame with the longest dimension of said mattress support extending in a direction parallel to the back of said sofa-bed, said mattress support having only two sections hinged together adjacent the center of each side of said mattress support, said sofa frame having a hollow back forming a forward-facing cavity, means for guiding said mattress support into a horizontal planar configuration when the sofa-bed is unfolded, and for guiding said mattress support into a generally L-shaped configuration with a generally vertical portion of the mattress within said cavity and forming a backrest, and a generally horizontal portion of the mattress forming a seat.
 2. A sofa-bed as in claim 1 in which said mattress support sections comprise a forward section which extends outwardly from the front of the sofa-bed when the bed is unfolded, a pair of support legs, each pivotably secured to one side of the outwardly extending portion of said forward section, and a folding linkage for each leg for folding it to a position generally parallel to the forward section when the bed is folded.
 3. A sofa-bed as in claim 1 including, on each side of said mattress support, a rear swing-link pivoted at one end to the rear section of said mattress support and at the other end to said sofa frame, a front swing-link pivoted at one end to the forward section of said mattress support and at the other end to said sofa frame, and center guide means for guiding the central portion of each side of said mattress support downwardly and to the rear of the sofa bed during folding of the bed.
 4. A sofa-bed as in claim 3 in which said center guide means includes, on each side of said sofa-bed, a C-shaped guide rail secured to the sofa frame with the rear end lower than the forward end, and a roller attached to said mattress support and positioned to roll in said guide rail during opening and closing of the bed.
 5. A sofa-bed as in claim 1 including a flexible flap secured at one edge adjacent the top of said frame and having a length sufficient to cover the vertical portion of the folded mattress.
 6. A sofa-bed as in claim 1 in which said sofa frame includes a lower front-board over which said mattress support moves during folding and unfolding, and a cushioned frontal member secured to, extending upwardly and outwardly from the forward edge of said mattress support so as to present a front edge substantially co-planar with the front of said front-board when the bed is folded, and a top edge substantially co-planar with the top of the horizontal seat portion of said mattress when the bed is folded.
 7. A sofa-bed as in claim 3 in which the pivot point of each of said rear swing-links with said mattress support is forward of the rear edge of said mattress support, and including a tie-bar extending parallel to the sofa back and being secured at each end to one of said rear swing-links at a position intermediate the ends of the link, whereby said tie-bar supports said rear portion of said mattress support against forces applied thereto downwardly when the bed is open and rearwardly when the bed is folded.
 8. A sofa-bed as in claim 2 in which each of said legs is pivoted adjacent one of its ends to said mattress support, said folding linkage for each leg including a link pivoted at one end to said leg at a point intermediate the ends of said leg, and at the other end to a member depending from said rear section, the latter pivot point being below the mattress support.
 9. A sofa-bed as in claim 1 including a tie-bar secured between opposite sides of said mattress support adjacent the center of each side, and, on each side of said sofa-bed, a tension spring connected between said tie bar and said sofa frame at a location below said mattress support.
 10. A sofa-bed as in claim 3 including a tie-bar secured between opposite front swing-links at points below the connections of said front swing-links to said mattress support, Whereby said tie-bar is substantially below said mattress support when said bed is unfolded, and is closely adjacent said mattress support to provide a seat support when the bed is folded into sofa form. 